


Lost but Searching

by Katrina



Series: Lots of Rosi ficlets [40]
Category: One Piece
Genre: AU TIME, Canon Divergent, Garp is good with teens sometimes, Gen, Non-marine Rosinante, Rosi has issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina/pseuds/Katrina
Summary: Rosinante never considered anything but being a Marine. At least he hadn't until the execution of Gol. D Roger. After he learned of what was happening in South Blue, he couldn't stand the idea of putting on that uniform. Now he has to figure out where to go from there.Going to miss a week or two, starting 7/17. My computer had a catestrophic failure, and I'm having to do a rewrite from notes on a few chapters. Which are the ones for the 17th,  the 24th, and the 31st. Once I get those rewritten, I'll be back on track. Many apologies.
Series: Lots of Rosi ficlets [40]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1226705
Comments: 21
Kudos: 98





	1. Funeral

**Author's Note:**

> A complete story. Going to post a chapter every week, and hope that you guys enjoy. This is part of a much larger idea, but I want to get this one out, and I'll see how it goes from here. 
> 
> So, there will be some tweaking of timelines and ages, not much, and most of it isn't intentionally. But there is also some headcanon stuff going on here, and just wanted to make sure you guys know it's not 100% canon to start with. 
> 
> Written for [100 prompts](https://100prompts.dreamwidth.org/) Table 1: 30 Prompts  
> Enjoy!

There was a drizzle that made the air hazy and grey. It was almost cliche, Rosi decided, trying to ignore the way that it made his skin sticky. His clothing, the pale fabric of a chore boy, clung against him as everything dragged on. Rosi fidgeted, willing this to be over, but he knew that it wouldn’t be much longer. For all that the Marines were doing this, they were going to speed through it as fast as possible.

A funeral for Gol D. Roger. The Pirate King himself was being buried by Marines.

Around him, people were murmuring as they tried to figure out why the Marines were giving Roger a funeral. On Marineford at that, instead of dumping the body into the ocean. Some of those connected to higher ups in the ranks were sharing what they knew. It was a low rumble of words, tickling at the edge of Rosi’s hearing. They were wild speculations, but that was how the rumor mill worked. People sharing and mutating what they knew.

Rosi was aware that more than a few were glancing at him, hoping he’d share what details he might have. After all, Rosi was the son of Admiral Sengoku and a psuedo-nephew of Garp the Fist himself. Rosi was one of the best connected in this group. If anyone should know why this funeral was happening, it would be him. There were plenty of hopeful glances that he might spread some of that around to the others.

But Rosi stayed quiet. He kept secrets behind his teeth, otherwise he has a harder time finding more. Something Sengoku was proud of, and he was already pushing Rosi to look into spy work. It was dangerous, but the secrets a spy learned were valuable. And Rosi was already good at finding out things he wasn’t supposed to know and keeping those details to himself.

Like now. He wasn’t supposed to know why they were having this funeral, but Rosi was aware of why. Eavesdropping was such a useful skill to have. Even if Garp told him it was a sneaky habit that nobody should do. Rosi thought Garp just wasn’t any good at anything that required being quiet, so tried to bluster about it.

Garp had argued hard for this. He claimed that dumping the Pirate King into the ocean would give someone a chance to claim the body for themselves. Enough crews had fishmen that anyone who followed at a far enough distance would be able to pull up the body of the man and use him as a rally point. Plus it would only rile up the pirates even more.

He watched without a word as Roger was buried with no real marker. Instead, only a simple stone to make sure that it was clear this plot was taken. The higher ups would bury Roger, but they would not leave him any sort of decent honors for it. They were still far too furious for more than the basics.

It was already clear that execution had not had the response the Marines had wanted. There was an upsurge of crews, all trying to race to the end of the Grand Line. Everyone wanted this already legendary treasure that Roger had left behind.

A very far cry from breaking the back of the pirates that sailed the seas.

Not wanting to make the situation even worse, Sengoku had made arrangements to have the man buried.

The funeral had a big turnout. It wasn’t supposed to be an event, but it still turned into one. Rosi had come because he had been at the execution. Sengoku had taken him. Rosi thought it might have been some sort of weird bonding situation. Which was nice, but he had never been a big fan of watching executions. Rosi didn’t like seeing anyone killed.

So they had come back to Marineford for the funeral together, Garp looking dark as a storm cloud during all of it.

Rosi was getting the idea that he was not pleased at any of it.

There were other rumors spreading about things other than the funeral. Rosi did listen to those. Most of them were wild and crazy. Roger wasn’t actually dead. The pirates were massing a giant fleet to attack them. There was a conspiracy to use this as a lure to execute all the pirates. There was a wife and child to carry on the demon bloodline.

That last was the only one that was realistic. Roger was dead, he had seen it. Pirates would never work together enough to make a massive fleet. Some of the Emperors had some pretty sizable fleets. However, they’d never get all the pirates to show up to anything. That wasn’t going to happen. As for a wife and kid….

Roger had vanished for a while. He remembered Garp muttering about it. And it wasn’t as if there was anything stopping him from having a kid. Not that Rosi was aware of. Which meant he had to do some digging. Rosi liked digging up new info. It was something he enjoyed.

There was an easy way to check on each of these stories. The same way he had learned about some of the reasoning behind the funeral.

Rosi had always been too curious for his own good.

///

There was a wide ledge that ran outside Sengoku’s office. It was purely decorative, and only ran along the small end of the building. There was only one office there, which belonged to Sengoku. So the only official way to reach it was from one of the windows of said office.

Unofficially, if one was tall enough and strong enough, they could haul themselves up. There was another ledge below the first, and had several offices that lined it. One of which was conveniently empty.

Rosi sat on it, a cigarette dangling from his fingers as he waited with a patient heart. It had been over a month since the execution and burial of the Pirate King. Rosi had kept his ears open, listening for rumor and gossip. And there was plenty of both as people came and went. Seemed that everything was focused on South Blue, and Rosi was waiting for Sengoku to leave. The man had reports that Rosi was going to read.

This was all a very good distraction for Rosi. It helped to have a mystery to solve. Something to take his mind off the fact that he had seen his brother for the first time in years. It was a good thing that things were so chaotic or that might have been an awkward confrontation. Doffy there as a pirate and Rosi in Marine gear would have been a very ugly meeting.

To be fair, Rosi had been sneaking into Sengoku’s office for years, checking up on what his brother had been up to. He was pretty sure his father knew about this, but the man had let it continue. Following his brother’s path from petty criminal to well known pirate name had become something of an obsession.

He rolled the cigarette between his fingers, not lighting up, but needing something to do with his hands. Rosi itched to smoke it, but that would smell, and the smoke would spread. That would cause more issues than he wanted. The ledge was a convenience that he didn’t want to give up. So he couldn't let Sengoku know it was accessible from any place other than his own office. The only reason Rosi could use this was because he could make the scramble up onto it.

Finally, there was the sound of movement, and Rosi knew it was Sengoku heading out to have a meal with Garp. They had been arguing about something lately, but the old friends still made time to talk each day. It was what Rosi had been waiting for.

Once the door shut, he waited another few minutes. Then he carefully slipped off the ledge and into the room. Had to be careful, because Rosi had no desire to explain a broken limb from falling.

The room was empty, even of the goat. Wasn’t a surprise, and Rosi made quick work as he looked through the reports on the desk. They weren’t anything important, and so the blond had to pause and consider things as he looked around the room. His father had an… unique filing system and the teenager had to think about how to approach this.

Flipping through his mental notes on how things sometimes got placed, Rosi went to the lower drawer of the desk, and tugged it open carefully. It caught, almost as if it was locked. But Rosi knew it wasn’t. It stuck, but that required only a bit of effort to get it open.

The first report made Rosi freeze, then focused on his breathing. He trembled a bit, sucking in deep lungfuls of the salty air. He focused on the smell of it, letting that hold his attention. He had to focus, or else he was going to do something...regretful. Deep in his chest, there was a snarl of anger curling and aching. Rosi knew he had minor anger issues, but he knew that destroying Sengoku’s office wouldn’t help anything. It wouldn’t stop those words on the paper, the pictures attached.

They were executing the women. No, it wasn’t executing them, Rosi knew. It was murder. Flat out murder. Of women and children who were unlucky enough to be caught by Marines at the wrong place, wrong time. For the simple fact of existing and possibly being a threat. They were making a sport of it, a game. It wasn’t said flat out. But Rosi knew what it was like when someone was enjoying what they were doing.

For a moment, the smell of burning wood filled his nose, his wrists ached. The jeers of townspeople as they taunted about torturing him and his family echoed in his ears, years after most of those people had died.

It wasn’t quite the same, but the similarities were enough that it made Rosi nauseous. He swallowed hard and made himself move to the next report. There was more there to read, and he had to know.

Shivering, Rosi read each and every report. Could feel his skin prickling as he read about women and their helpless children being shot and slashed. Of pregnant women being murdered for the crime of being pregnant when a potential child of Gol D. Roger might exist.

That was the worst part. There was no proof that this so-called child existed. Just a rumor that had sprung up on after Garp had brought Roger in.

Putting the file away, Rosi very firmly pushed the drawer shut.

He could try the ledge again, but Rosi knew he didn’t have the focus to do it. He needed out of this room, though. So he headed for the door. Luck was with him, and there was nobody out there, and Rosi was able to make his way out of the halls.

Shaking fingers lit the cigarette as he stepped outside. Absently patting out some flame on his shirt, Rosi just let himself walk aimlessly. As he got further away from the office, he slipped into the flow of people. It let him blend in and just go. Most of these people were permanent residents of Marineford, or other chore boys. Not people who would have been sent to South Blue. People he could still look at and not assume that they had been murdering children.

Since he had been picked up by Sengoku, Rosi had expected to be a marine as well. Even with his brother starting to make a name for himself in the North Blue, Rosi had expected to be a marine. Maybe even help stop the monster of his blood.

But seeing what they were doing now….

Rosi knew he’d never be a marine. The idea made him feel a little sick, because they were acting just as bad as the worst pirates. All in the name of Justice.

He had to figure out what to do next.


	2. Muse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The changes in Rosinante aren't unnoticed, and Garp is reminded of another young man he knew once.

Something was going on with Rosinante. 

What, Garp wasn’t sure. He just knew that the kid was quieter than normal. Rosinante may not have been as gregarious as some kids Garp knew, but he hadn’t been a shy one either. So him suddenly withdrawing from everyone around him was suspicious. 

Garp was not an idiot. He was a Vice-Admiral, after all. Sure, he was laid back when he wasn’t on the trail of a low-life pirate, but he had served with both Sengoku and Tsuru. Either of them would have drowned him ages ago if he had been an idiot. So seeing the kid go from friendly and chatting to watching everyone around him with wary eyes worried Garp.

It reminded him of when Sengoku had first brought his son home. 

And, maybe, it reminded him of Dragon at the beginning of everything. 

He wasn’t the only one who noticed this either. He caught Sengoku also giving Rosinante worried looks. It was good to know that he wasn’t the only one who was aware that something was wrong. Now, to figure out how to approach this and find out what was causing it. 

Rosinante was a kid who kept worries close to his chest. Figured that was something to do with before. Not that Garp had a lot of details. Sengoku never shared much about the situation he had pulled Rosinante from. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if Sengoku himself ever had all the details. 

Not that it mattered at the moment. Right now, he wanted to know more about what was worrying the boy. This was something new, and Garp knew just one way to find out. He wasn’t some sneaky spy. He was much more forward. 

“ROSINANTE!” he bellowed. 

The blond’s head snapped around, reddish eyes going wide as he looked at Garp barrelling down on him. Around him, other people also looked up and then scattered. When Garp the Fist was charging forward, nobody wanted to get in his way. That was just asking to go for an impromptu flight. 

There was a flicker of tension over the boy, and his eyes darted around. But then Rosinante just sighed and relaxed, holding still as Garp came at him. Garp laughed, aware that he was a smart kid. He knew that there was no escaping when Garp was determined to talk. 

So Garp reached him and snagged the back of Rosinante’s neck. “Come on, brat. We are going to talk.”

Now Rosinante looked hunted, side-eyeing Garp as he was hauled along. There was just a hint of hesitation, of feet being dragged. Garp just tightened his fingers and lifted Rosinante off his feet a bit. There was a flail, and then a grumble. 

“I can walk,” Rosinante huffed, hanging from Garp’s hold. That got a chuckle and Garp let him settle on the ground again. This time Rosinante walked without trying to slow them down. Now they were moving at a decent pace, and Garp watched the kid.

Now that he was this close, he was more worried. There were grey circles under Rosinante’s eyes, and it was obvious that he had been either put off his food, or too distracted to eat. There was a new sharpness to his cheeks and the bones of his wrists were standing out more than before. Maybe Garp was seeing too much into it. The kid had been growing like a weed lately. Maybe this was just another growth spurt, his weight not keeping up with his new height. 

They wouldn’t be so lucky, though. When Rosinante looked at him, there was something in his eyes. A wary uncertainty. Like he wasn’t sure what Garp was going to do now. 

It hurt, seeing that look again. It had been years since he saw that look on the kid’s face. That expression that said Rosinante was expecting something bad. What had happened to make it show up again?

Finally, he had hauled the kid to his own, mostly ignored, office. Pushing Rosinante towards one chair, Garp dropped into the other. He didn’t say anything yet. While he wanted to start demanding answers, that wouldn’t work with Rosinante. The kid could dance around the truth like it was nothing. He was going to have to go at this in a slow, boring way. 

So he had to wait. 

Thankfully, Rosinante was young enough to not have much patience. He started fidgeting quickly enough, eyes glancing around, looking for why he’d been dragged here. There was nothing to see, so he had to eventually look at Garp. “I….” He paused again, obviously trying to get a read on Garp. 

Garp gave him a small smile. It was one he didn’t use often, small and quiet. Was remembering a lot of things he hadn’t used in years. Not since Sengoku had brought home a skittish kid who had been terrified of Garp at his most outgoing. 

That seemed to help settle the kid some. “Uncle Garp?” The question was clear, and Garp relaxed a bit. Good to see that curiosity was still a driving force for Rosinante. 

“What’s wrong?” Blunt, yes, but Garp wasn’t built to be the sort to dance around things. “You’ve been fiddly since the execution.”

That whole show had been a circus from the start, and Garp already had enough issues with the fall out with that. The stories he heard from the South Blue….

Oh. 

Garp wasn’t a sneaky spy person. But Rosinante had all the marks of it. He was a great fighter already. He’d get better with practice. That wasn’t his great talent, though. The way that Rosinante’s brain worked, it made connections and put together details. Honestly, Garp had thrown a few interesting cases at the kid, just to see what he’d do with them. 

His mind was much better suited for spywork than Garp ever would be. And if Garp had been hearing plenty from the South Blue, then so would Rosinante. And Rosinante never had any hesitation in getting more information. 

“You’ve heard about a kid, haven’t you?”

Rosinante went pale, and looked away. He was going to have to work on those tells if he was going to be a spy. 

Watching as the teen’s knuckles turned white from how tight his fingers were curled, and the tightness in his shoulders, Garp sighed. Yeah, he had heard. Heard both about the kid and what was happening down in South Blue. Now, to figure out what they were going to do from this point. Because he was pretty sure that this was not going to go anywhere good. Not with that look in Rosinante’s eyes. 

Not that Garp was sure he could figure it out before he left, either. Technically he was going to inspect the troops and to help soothe the civilian population after what is going on on a series of small islands in the South Blue. Sengoku thought it was Garp taking a well deserved vacation after finally catching Roger. Garp knew that he was going to try beating others to Roger’s child. He had more details than anyone else. 

Only now if he left, he’d be leaving Rosinante behind. He could tell Tsuru and Sengoku, but both were busy with other things. Sengoku was doing a lot on the orders of Kong. Rumor had it the man was grooming him to take over. And Tsuru was barely even in the Grand Line. She was working a lot in the North Blue lately. Maybe he could send Rosinante out that way, get him away from the gossips of Marineford. 

“If this kid exists, they want it dead. A baby. Maybe not even born yet. Just because of who the father was.” Rosinante’s voice was quiet. Garp snapped out of his own thoughts and looked at his nephew again. For someone who was so tall and starting to get so broad in the shoulders, Rosinante could shrink in on himself surprisingly well. “I’ve seen some of the pictures of what they are doing there. All of them can’t be this kid and mother. So they are just killing people to kill them.”

He looked up, and Garp realized how bloodshot his eyes were. “For no other reason than who the kid is related to.” Now stress was clear in his voice. “I don’t think I can be part of a group like this, Uncle Garp. But if I don’t join…..” He swallowed. “I saw Doffy at the execution.” A shrug, expression lost as the teen watched Garp. “I really don’t think I can stay here, though.”

Garp froze for a moment. “Rosinante, you can’t think that your father would,” he was cut off by a rather sharp, ugly laugh from the blond. 

“He’s okay with them butchering women and children.” Rosinante reached up to rub angrily at tears that were starting to gather in his eyes. “And he may not do anything himself, but maybe he wouldn’t stop anyone else from dealing with Donquixote blood. Not when it belongs to pirates and monsters. Not if I leave. But that they are doing this isn’t something I can accept.” 

It was obvious that he had been twisting himself up about this, and Garp felt his heart ache. Was this what Dragon had gone through before? There was a lot of old pain in Rosinante as well, and all of this was dredging it back up.

Though he couldn’t say that Rosinante was wrong, unfortunately. Doflamingo was starting to become a serious problem in the North Blue. And Donquixote was not a common name. Someone would figure out the connection between the brothers, and they might deal with a ‘blight’ on the good name of the Marines. Some Marines were far more devoted to Absolute Justice than was good for anyone. 

But the idea of sending Rosinante to Tsuru was now definitely out. He didn’t need to help anyone figure this out, now that it had occurred to him. Not now that he was reminded that Doflamingo was still running around. He’d been so busy chasing Roger that he had forgotten certain details. 

“You’re coming with me.”

The words were out before he could think about them, but once they were out, he laughed. Yes, that was perfect! Rosinante could use his sneaky brain to help Garp find this woman and save the kid. Two of them looking would be better. And it might help Rosinante to get out of Marineford. Him being out and helping could only do the kid good. 

“Coming with you? Where are you going?”

“South Blue,” Garp said, smirking at that look at Rosinante’s face. “Cheer up, kid. We are going to do some good there. No killing kids. Sun, fresh air, and getting away from here.”

It was a brilliant idea, and Garp stood up. He needed to go talk to Sengoku. Ignoring Rosinante’s spluttering, Garp stomped out of the office, almost knocking the door off the hinges. This was going to be great. He’d get to spend time with his nephew and he’d have help finding Roger’s mysterious lady. Probably better this way, anyway. Otherwise the kid would be half grown by the time Garp found it. 

Yeah, this was going to be better for everyone.


	3. Blackboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garp sets things up, and Rosi is not happy about how he goes about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to go up yesterday. Many apologies for the lateness. I might have gotten a little distracted by playing FFVII Remake. But I got it up now, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

“Hey, Rosi, put in a good word for me when you go,” was the first indication that his trip was more common knowledge than Rosi expected. He turned to look at Michael, blinking at the other chore boy in confusion. The uncertainty he felt in his stomach must have shown on. his face, because the slightly younger man grinned back. 

“You are on the Board. Going with Vice-Admiral Garp on his next mission.” Michael’s grin grew. “Know he’s your uncle type, but do me a favor and drop a few hints about me. I’m going to be joining up soon as well. And it’s better to get my name in now.”

Unsure about what his friend was talking about, Rosi knew that there was one way to find out. He nodded and agreed to pass on the word. Then he headed for the place to get at least a few answers. 

In the barracks that the chore boys shared on Marineford, there was the Board. It was the one thing their lives focused around once they were accepted as chore boys. It was a massive blackboard, filling up one whole wall. On it was written each chore boy and their current listing. Who was part of what squad, what chores were on their weekly roster, that sort of thing. 

But it was also how each of them were given notice that they had officially been promoted from chore boy to Seaman Recruit. It was something everyone noticed. Everything was normally written in white chalk, names, squads, chores. When someone ended up promoted, their name was erased and rewritten in a deep blue. The name of their new commander was written in place of the squad, and no chores were listed. Every chore boy knew exactly what that meant. 

Rosi hurried over and looked at the board himself. There was his name, in the dark blue of promotion, with Monkey D. Garp as his commanding officer. 

Deep inside, there was a roll of his stomach, bitter anger flavoring his tongue as Rosi saw that. He didn’t -want- to join the Marines. He thought Garp had understood that.. Nails digging into his palms, teeth clenched as he struggled to not say anything, Rosi turned. Stalking towards the door, the blond had a goal in mind. 

He needed to talk to Garp. 

***

The silence was ringing, and Garp was torn. He wanted to chase Rosinante down and give the brat a few fists to the back of his head. But he could also admire the sheer balls it took to tear into both Garp and Sengoku the way that the kid had. 

Across the desk, Sengoku looked to be in the same boat. Of course, Rosinante had not let his father off the hook lightly. Especially when he found out it was Sengoku who had prompted him. 

Garp understood why the other had done it. As a chore boy, Rosinante would have, technically, been under the command of anyone on the ship. Anyone could have given him orders, and the teen would have had to listen to it. And, as a civilian, he wouldn’t have been able to travel with them. Not without Sengoku going as well. Which the man didn’t have time for. 

A Marine, however, could. They could also be assigned a specific commanding officer, who would be the one they obeyed. Garp would be the highest rank on the ship anyway, so it was extra protection for the teen. Which was Sengoku’s intention.

“You should have talked to us first,” Garp admitted slowly. Bah, better to be impressed. Garp liked people standing up for themselves. “Kid is iffy enough about staying without being manhandled.”

If there was something Garp had learned, something he thought Sengoku had figured out, it was that Rosinante hated having major decisions made for him. 

Sengoku scowled, eyes glittering with the anger he was pressing down. “He has better manners than that,” he growled. “I know. I taught them to him.”

“He’s also got a temper.” Garp shrugged, pulling a bag of crackers from the sack at his side. He gave a rough chuckle. “We both know he does. Runs in his family. And he hates surprises.”

There was a scowl from Sengoku at the comment about family. He did try so hard to pretend his Donquixote and the one running wild in North Blue weren’t related. 

Still, Garp made a note to work on that. He had a temper as well, but control was something he had learned as a Marine. It wasn’t just physical might that took one up in ranks as a Marine. And they already heard enough about another Donquixote temper. Better to reinforce a more socially acceptable way for Rosinante to express his frustration. Definitely didn’t need him taking after Doflamingo’s methods.

There was a grumble from Sengoku, but he just sighed and leaned back in his chair. Garp offered the crackers to his friend. “I’ll talk to him later,” he offered. “At least he’s the quiet sort in general.”

It could be so much worse. It really could.. 

Sengoku rubbed a hand over his face before taking the bag. “Convince him,” Sengoku said quietly. “We need to find a way to keep him from taking off angry, Garp.”

They had both seen what could happen when a Marine, or even a Marine in training, went off mad at the system. Garp had a much more personal experience with it. 

“Does he ever contact you?”

The question was unexpected, but still sort of expected. Talking about Marines who left, especially ones who left angry, usually lead to one specific point when it involved Garp. 

“No,”

There was a twisting in his gut, but Garp could admit it was for the best. Dragon had done something similar to Rosinante was pulling now. Only he never spoke to anyone before he bolted. Nobody had realized how angry he was at the Marines, at the World Government before that last argument.

And given what the rumors were now….

Garp recognized the reaction in Rosinante. He had seen it written all over Dragon’s face before he had vanished. It was burned into his mind. So it had been easy to identify when he saw it on another young face. The utter heartbreak of learning not all Marines were people of honor. Of learning that some could be more evil than any pirate ever had been. Who would go to any length to support the World Government and their form of Absolute Justice. 

Dragon had broken. He had seen the darker side of the Marines and been too hurt to even consider staying. It had ruined the idea of everything the Marines stood for, and Dragon was obviously working on taking the entire system down. 

Some days, Garp wondered if he wasn’t right to try. 

He wished he could show Dragon that the Incident was a one time thing. But he couldn’t. The situation now was an excellent example of it. There would be no meeting of the minds for father and son about the honor of the Marines. 

Sengoku was hoping to salvage Rosinante’s love for the people who had saved him. Garp wished him luck, but he was pretty sure that Sengoku was looking at the wrong thing. Rosinante had never loved the Marines. Not like Sengoku and Garp did. Not like Dragon once had. 

Rosinante would have joined because the people he cared about were all part of the Marines. Not because he believed in what the Marines stood for. He tried to play the part expected of him, as the son of an Admiral. But he had not loved the group, he had loved the people. He loved the man who saved him as a child, who had raised him. He loved some other people who were his family, who happened to also be Marines.

If Sengoku had not gotten to Rosinante when he had, it would be so easy for the boy to be similar to his brother. Not the violence, though that was possible. Rosinante would have gone pirate, but in much the same way Whitebeard was. He would have collected a crew to be his family. To be the support he needed. 

The Marines had almost been that. 

“In any case,” Garp leaned to take a cracker himself. “I want you to consider that he might not come back.”

There was a creak as Sengoku’s hands clenched on the arms of his chair, the man’s jaw tight. Garp was pretty sure he could hear teeth grinding from here. He waved a hand at his friend. “I might be able to talk him around. But I think he’s taking this entire South Blue thing personally.” Definitely, from the talk they had. But that was between Garp and Rosinante. “Better to prepare for the worst..”

Then Garp grinned. “Besides, some of the prettiest women live in the South Blue. Maybe he’ll find someone to pull him out of his funk.”

If nothing else, that distracted Sengoku in a whole new direction. Garp was glad, even if it meant he had to deal with the man demanding Garp keep an eye on Rosi. Not that he planned on letting the kid run wild. 

First island they stopped at, he was going to pull Rosi aside and let him know just what the plan was. Getting him to use his sneaky talents to help save Roger’s wife and child would cheer Rosi up more than any pretty face they’d come across. 

Everything would work out, he was sure of it.


	4. Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garp finally talks to Rosinante about why they are going to the South Blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four. Almost forgot this again this week, but now that my partner is home from her unexpected surgery, I have a chance to focus on other things. Woo! Hope you enjoy.

The ship was quiet, and Garp went hunting. It didn’t take long to find Rosinante, who was lurking at the bow of the ship, watching the ocean ahead of them. He hadn’t said much when they left port, just giving a quiet goodbye to his father. Even mad at the man, Rosinante wasn’t going to leave without saying some sort of goodbye. Had lost too many people for that. 

Seeing the lanky form leaning against the railing, Garp headed for him. His nose wrinkled as he got closer. Reaching out, he swatted the back of the teen’s head, causing Rosinante to fumble his cigarette into the sea.

“Nasty habit,” the older man said, leaning against the railing besides Rosinante. There was a pause, and Garp ignored the blatant staring from the other. Then, slowly, the blond pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. There was a hint of challenge in those eyes staring back at him. 

Ah, he was at that age, wasn’t he?

“So, we’re not going to go raise morale,” Garp said finally. Nobody was too close. There was the night watch, but they would stick to the higher points of the ship. So it was just the pair of them, right now. 

Rosinante’s eyes were wary, jaw tight as he watched Garp. There was a sudden stiffness to his shoulders as the blond waited for Garp to continue. 

“Nor are we going for a vacation.” Garp glanced out over the water as well, heart heavy. “We’re going to find Roger’s child.”

The stiffness shifted to full blown tightness along those shoulders and Rosinante’s back. Garp reached out and gripped one shoulder. “To save the kid and the mom.”

It hurt, seeing the narrowed eyes that looked back at him. It was pretty obviously the kid wasn’t sure if he could believe Garp. That definitely stung a bit. He had known Rosinante since he was a tiny little thing, scared of everyone and hiding behind Sengoku. Tsuru had been the first to really convince him that nobody was going to hurt him, but Garp had enjoyed being a sort of uncle to the kid. To know that Rosinante’s trust had been so damaged by this that he was even unsure about Garp hurt.

He squeezed Rosinante’s shoulder. “I know it sounds far fetched. Know I wouldn’t believe it either. But I promised Roger that I would find them and keep them safe.” Another flex of his fingers. “I swore I would, on my honor.”

That got a blink from Rosinante, and some of the tension under Garp’s hand faded. Not all of it, as he knew that it would take more than just a few words. But Garp knew that Rosinante wanted to believe the best. 

“Which is why I got your dad to send you with me.” A start from Rosinante, and Garp laughed, relaxing as he did. “What? He won’t stop bragging about how you are turning into a pretty good sneak. Good at finding out things you really shouldn’t be able to. Seems that the trainers who help out with the chore boys notice things like that.” A shrug. “Being sneaky, that’s something I’m no good at.”

He eyed Rosinante. “You can keep a secret about this, right?” He nudged at the other, smiling a bit. Was trying to get him to loosen up a bit. The eye roll he got back was definitely worth it. “In any case, you got that adorable face. I’m sure someone will talk to you.”

There was another little flare of tension, Garp could see it in the way Rosi’s shoulders rose up. 

“Why would you agree to do something like that?” The words were soft, barely loud enough to hear over the sounds of the wind. “Shouldn’t you be all for ending the bloodline of the Pirate King?”

Garp grimaced, letting go of Rosinante to rub a hand over his face. “Kid, I go after pirates. Not kids. Not civilians.” That’s what made what was going on so… disgusting. 

“Father would, though.”

And that was a warning, there. Rosinante knew that Sengoku had agreed to do these orders. Even though they had come from further up, Sengoku hadn’t argured them. Which….

Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. Sengoku was on the border of moral and absolute justice. It changed each day, depending on what was going on. And he was firmly on the side of ending the line of one of the most notorious pirates out there. 

“And we aren’t going to let him. These orders are stupid, and I don’t see any reason to follow them.”

It was mutiny. A quiet mutiny. It would likely never get too far past this. But this was the one thing that Garp was going to go against all orders for. He had swore that he’d save this child and, if possible, the woman that Roger had loved. 

Another long moment of Rosinante watching him passed by. Garp wondered what was going on inside that brain. He wasn’t a stupid kid. Impulsive as hell, and with a temper that was going to get him in trouble someday. But stupid was never something that Garp ever associated with his nephew. 

“What do you want me to do?”

Still uncertain, but willing to reach out. Something in Garp’s gut relaxed. Okay, he wasn’t so far gone as Dragon had been. Dragon would never have been willing to trust. Not a Marine. Not after….

Garp gave another laugh, of relief this time. No, Rosinante wasn’t going to be a Marine, but he wasn’t going to cut them out of his life completely. That was something. Garp could work with that. He knew Tsuru would accept it, and Sengoku would have to as well. 

“I wasn’t joking when I said someone would talk to you. You are young, and charming when you want to be. You’re more likely to get certain details that I will. People see me and know I am a Marine.”

“You are probably the most famous Marine currently,” Rosinante pointed out, tone dry. “Yeah, people are going to know you are a Marine.” He frowned, considering it. “And they are going to know that I’m associated with you soon enough.”

“I got an idea,” Garp said. He cuffed Rosinante upside the head lightly as the kid made a face at those words. “If we can narrow it down to the right island….”

A frown, and then Rosinante looked contemplative. “If you drop me off at the right place, then I can do some checking of my own.” There was the hint of wariness again.

Garp found himself looking right into serious eyes. When had the kid gotten so tall?

“Uncle Garp, you cannot be lying to me about this,” he said finally. “You cannot.” There was an undercurrent there, and Garp wasn’t sure he wanted to know what would be the result if he had been lying. Probably with Rosinante going straight to Dragon after looting everything he could from Marineford. Kid was spiteful like that when he wanted to be. 

Push came to shove, he might even do worse than that. Doflamingo would likely be happy to take his brother back into the fold.

“Rosinante, I would never lie to you about something like this.” Because Garp would lie to him, and they both knew it. But Garp was not lying about this. Not about saving a child. 

There was a nod from Rosinante, and Garp was pleased. They could do this, and he’d be able to keep his promise to the last person he ever expected to make one to.


	5. Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosi starts his hunt for Roger's child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the kudos and comments are love and encourage me so much. Thank you guys so much!

Getting ready took careful preparation. Rosi had to wait until most of the marines were off the ship, and he slipped out on his own. Where they were wearing crisp, fitted uniforms, he was in something very different. His clothing was a bit oversized, which helped him look smaller than he actually was. Something that was needed. 

On average, people in the Blues were shorter. Not all of them. There were definitely plenty of taller people, but Rosi was trying to stand out as little as possible. 

So he slipped out when everyone was watching the marines in town. That hurt, seeing the fear that radiated from everyone already, just at the sight of a Marine ship. 

Garp was out there as well, so this time Rosi could have some faith that they wouldn’t willy nilly murder women. That was something that Garp would never tolerate. 

Which had been made abundantly clear on the ship. Garp had overheard someone chuckling about making a game of it, seeing how many people they could round up who were pregnant. There may have been a rude comment about what they might get from the ladies to protect their children.

The person who had suggested the idea wasn’t one of Garp’s regular sailors, or he’d have known better. As it was, he took a flying trip to sea. They had sent out a dinghy to pick him up, but Garp’s disapproval of the idea was very clear. 

Right now, the Marines were rounding up pregnant women and women with newborns. But not for immediate execution. No, Garp was actually talking to people, finding out more details. 

It was already starting to make a difference, even though he had only spoken to three or four women. 

That was enough for people to start relaxing, something Rosi noticed as he roamed around town. He took his time, stopping here and there to look at something interesting. Or to flirt with a pretty face. Overdid it a bit there, which got a lot of laughs and some giggles from different sorts. That seemed to help people start ignoring him.

He was a new face, but he was a new face who was acting very much like a teenager. Once he noticed that they weren’t paying as much attention, he found a little cafe that was next to a bar. On the other side was a restaurant. Plenty of people hanging out to eat and drink.

And to gossip. 

Getting a cup of tea and a pastry, Rosi settled into a corner where the cafe and the bar shared space. People who were at a bar this time of day were either serious drinkers or people who spent time chattering with each other. Which was just what he wanted. 

Pulling out a book, he opened it halfway through, where a bookmark saved his spot, and settled in. Sipping at the tea, he quickly lost himself into the words. 

Or, at least, he pretended to. Instead, he was listening to what was being said.

The thing about the South Blue was it had absolutely gorgeous weather. So most places had patios for patrons to enjoy the sunlight. As a group was doing now. They were mostly older men, who had the look for former Marines about them. 

Rosi knew that Marines were the most gossipy people in existence. 

His luck wasn’t so good that Rosi was able to get a good conversation at first. Instead, the first group that sat down and chatted was mostly focused on the weather and the different ships that came in the area. Seemed there were a lot of new pirate crews forming up and traveling around. Several stopped off here on their voyages. Not a surprise, given how the execution of Gold Roger had gone.

After another few cups of tea, and a set of rather tasty sandwiches, Rosi’s luck finally changed for the better. The newest group of men were younger than some of the others, but still had the look of retired sailors. They had their own chats about family and friends, catching up with each other. But then they kept talking about other things. 

Eventually, the conversation turned to the topic everyone came to at some point. Whatever scandal there was currently going on. 

“Disgraceful what they are doing,” muttered one of the men, eyes squinting as a pair of Marines walked by, escorting a woman with a very tiny baby asleep at her breast. She looked concerned, frightened, and Rosi ached to soothe her. But he couldn’t. It wouldn’t do any good, and just make his job harder. 

“Weren’t like that back in my day,” added a second, shaking his head. “Killing women and children, that’s what pirates do.” He raised his voice enough to be heard by the Marines. But they were well trained. Other than a dirty look one threw, they continued on their way. 

A third man took a drink before adding his own part to the conversation. “Well, at least we got Garp the Fist checking our island.”

“Is it really him?”

There was a nod from the third man. “Yep. Served with him my last year in. He’s a good’un, don’t hold to that bullshit of hurting people who don’t do harm.” Another sip of his beer, and Rosi’s ears perked up. The man shifted in towards his companions, shoulders hunching in a bit. He was about to say something he didn’t want shared. 

“Heard they are looking for Gold Roger’s kid. But we all know that he only saw one pretty face on this island. And she ain’t pregnant.”

Bingo. Now, Rosi just had to hope they kept talking. 

There was a bit of chuckles from the table. “True that,” said the first man, shaking his head. “I’ve seen her around. Still as slim as a reed, that one.”

“Good thing we got Garp the Fist, then,” the second spoke up again. “No other lady ever caught Roger’s eyes like Rouge.” He snorted. “Now, can’t say that other islands might not have their own pretty ladies.”

“Do hope they find out if he left any spawn,” muttered the fourth, who had been quiet until now. “Better to deal with the line before any of that devil spawn got big enough to cause problems as well.”

There was some scowling from the others, mostly at the idea of killing a kid, and the conversation turned from children of pirate kings to how much of a disgrace the current crop of Marines were with their behavior. Rosi did keep an ear on them, but he was turning things over in his mind. 

Rouge, hmm? He’d have to do some more poking to figure out who this Rouge was, but it was the best lead he found so far. From what Garp said, it was unlikely that Roger had more than one kid running around. But who knew. Plus, there were other things to figure out. Like how to protect a child once they were born. If they weren’t already born. 

It was going to get even more complicated, but Rosi would poke at that later. First, he needed to find out more about this mysterious lady that Roger had seemed infatuated with, and then figure out where to go from there. 

He stayed where he was, flipping through the book as if reading. Once that group of men left, he waited a bit longer, then stood. Settling up his tab, Rosi ambled his way away from the cafe. 

Okay, the woman was a local, it sounded like. And known by her neighbors. So not someone he could just ask about. Not without a good reason.

But, if she was a local, then she’d likely be in town sooner or later. And she likely needed to eat, so….

First, he’d find out when the town markets ran. Where people could get food. 

Then, he’d go back and hassle Garp to see if Roger ever gave any hints on his lover. Even if it was just a hair color or not. It might be too much to hope for, but Garp was surprisingly good when he was on the trail of someone. 

If he didn’t have anything else, Rosi was just going to have to do this the long way. That would give him time to think about what to do next.


	6. Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosi and Rouge meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first story in Prompt Me, but I've tweaked it some and added some more to it. Not much, but enough there are a few differences. Hope you still enjoy it.

The sea was calm.

It was the only thing that was. There were marines in town, and that only seemed to lead to one thing anymore. Rouge could already hear the fearful murmuring from men and women, memories of what had happened before. Around her, other people were glancing at the uniforms, then looking away. They also knew what the marines were there for, and knew it was going to mean death for people.

Rouge watched as the first woman was forcefully escorted past, her belly starting to curve in a way that it had not been when the last marines had come by. Her pleading, with her husband’s echoing her protests, was falling on deaf ears. 

They were only the first, and Rouge watched in stony silence, her mind never wavering from her mantra. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. 

She had already lost her lover. She could not lose their child as well. 

“That’s horrible.”

Having someone behind her speak made Rouge jump. She had not expected that, having failed to realize he was behind her. She twisted, and then looked up. He was tall, this stranger. Younger as well. He looked down at her at the sudden movement, then back to where yet another helpless victim of absolute justice was being escorted along. 

The corners of his mouth were downturned, and Rouge could see there was something dark in his eyes as he watched it. There was a noise of disgust, and the man shook his head. “I can’t believe….” A hand rubbed over his face. “Thought I had gotten away from stuff like that.”

He glanced at Rouge again. “Sorry if I bothered you. You looked angry, and that’s dangerous with people like that. Figured it would be better if I distracted you a bit.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Didn’t mean to startle you, though.” The blond glanced at the marines again, who were now yelling at the young couple. They were clinging to each other, refusing orders to let go. 

Then the blond stepped between her and the sight. 

“You shouldn’t give them any reason to suspect you, Portgas D. Rouge.”

That got a reaction, and she jerked back from the tall young man, looking up at him with wary eyes. “And who,” she bit out, “are you to warn me about anything?”

His eyes were a dark red, she noticed as he looked down at her. “I’m Donquixote Rosinante. I doubt you’ve heard of me. And we need to keep them from hearing of you.” A slight gesture at the marines behind him. “I’d be happy to talk to you more if you’d like. But we should probably do it someplace other than here.”

Not that she had much choice. She could cause a scene, but with everyone on edge, that might backfire quite easily. “I’m not going anywhere in private with you,” she told the teen. The longer she looked at him, the more she realized how young he was. He was tall, yes, taller than most. But Roger had been tall as well.

Thinking of him made her heart hurt. 

“I’m all right with that,” Rosinante said. “Just as long as we are walking away from the marines.”

The pair was quiet as they walked down the street. Rouge wasn’t sure what this was about, but the man was looking around with curiosity and not even trying to hide it. He knew who she was, and the way he walked screamed marine, but he didn’t seem to be happy with what was going on behind them. 

Eventually, Rouge lead them to a small cafe. It was small and had a place to eat outside. She settled them there. Mr. Barva smiled as he brought out her usual. Rosinante listened to the offerings and made a choice. He was charming, which just made her more wary. 

Finally, they were alone, and he took a sip before speaking. “When Roger was captured, he had one small request for Garp. One he knew that his friend would keep.” A hint of a grin as he watched her. “They’ve been playing the game of catch and escape for years. This time, Roger let it happen.”

Rouge’s glass hit the table hard. “He did not,” she snapped, heart pounding as a taste of bitter anger flooded her mouth. Roger wouldn't have done that. He wouldn’t have left her alone with their child, not like that. He would have fought to stay free. He had been so excited when she had told him. They had even planned names.

The expression on Rosinante’s face was pure uncomfortable hesitation. Then he sighed. “He was sick, according to Garp. Something that couldn’t be cured. Roger still wouldn’t have given up without a fight, but he needed a favor. A favor that only Garp would give him.”

“How do you know any of this?” Rouge interrupted. Red eyes blinked, and he gave her a thin smile.

“Garp is my uncle. He…. Garp promised Roger that he would protect his child.” Rosinante’s eyes now were fixed on hers, and there was a long quiet moment as they stared at each other. 

“Your child.”

“I’m not pregnant,” she denied, automatically. Another small smile was her answer.

“In any case, I had heard about what was going on in the South Blue.” His calm expression faltered, something flashing across his face. “I’ve seen things like it before. Where people lash out because they are afraid. Not that the Government will admit to being afraid. ”

As he spoke, the man absently rubbed at one wrist. Rouge’s eyes dropped, eyes picking out the circle of scarring that wrapped around both his arms, and she looked back at his face. He wasn’t seeing the world as it was for a moment, then seemed to snap back to her. 

“Absolute justice isn’t any such thing,” the blond continued. “What they are doing here is -wrong-. Both for how they are doing it and why. A child is not their parents. Whatever they blame on the father should not be passed on to the child.”

One corner of his mouth quirked up, but the smile was not a happy one. Rouge couldn't help but be reminded of Roger when he was talking about something bad in his past. “I was going to be a Marine. They saved my life when I was a child. But this…. I can’t join anyone who does something like this. They are going after anyone who could be the mysterious mother and child. Garp won’t let them kill anyone, but a lot of the other’s in charge don’t care as much.” He scowled. “No wonder people are starting to fear Marines.”

Playing his fingers along the glass, Rosinante looked at the way the liquid danced. “Garp grabbed me to help him. He’s not the best at being sneaky, as he puts it. He swore to Roger that he’d protect the child, and the mother is possible.” Now he glanced back up to her. “He wanted my help.”

Rouge looked him over, frowning a bit. “How old are you,” she asked finally. 

“Sixteen, ma’am.”

So young, and to have that look on his face already….

“Why you?”

Rosinante took a drink. “Because he knew that I was going to leave no matter what. This way he could keep a bit of an eye on me.” This time his smile was a bit more real. “He’s sort of protective at times. My adopted father and him have known each other for ages.” Another drink. “And I’m a great deal more sneaky than he will ever be.” 

This time, Rosinante’s smile was happier, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Vice Admiral he may be, but Garp’s skill set is pretty straight forward. Anything else he is horrible with. If he was doing this by himself, he would probably wouldn’t find you until the baby had already been born.”

“I never said I was pregnant.”

“No, you never did.”

Rouge studied him. “Does he know who I am yet?”

“No.”

That was a surprising answer, and she felt her brows raise up. The teen shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you first. You deserve the warning that he’s looking. And nobody should have to deal with all of this without someone….”

There was the stomping of feet, and both of them looked up to see a group of marines walking down the street. The one at the front noticed them and came to a stop. 

“Rosi?” He asked, looking at Rouge with a frown. “Who is your friend?”

“Miss Rouge has been kind enough to have a drink with me,” said Rosi with a bright grin. “Don’t be too much of yourself, Miks.” 

There was a frown from the man, then he snorted and shook his head. “Of course you’d manage to make a lady friend so fast. I’ve seen Garp do the same. And your old man.”

Rosi huffed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t need to know that sort of stuff. I just thought she looked nice. Now she’s never going to talk to me again after this. You are going to make her think I got a girl at every port or something.”

His tone was one hundred percent annoyed teenager who was trying to impress a girl. Rouge had to blink. But it got a laugh from the other men. Miks waved at her.

“Don’t mind us, ma’am. Just giving Rosi a hard time. I wasn’t sure he knew what girls were.”

Rosi threw a napkin at him.

There was more laughter, then the marines strolled off, nudging each other with elbows and chuckling as they did. Rosi shook his head, then looked to Rouge. 

“Sorry. Seemed the easiest way to get them to move on.” A hand through his hair, hissing as he caught a tangle. “I’ll tell them that they scared you off me if you decide you don’t want me around.”

That had been unexpected. “You knew them.”

“Most of the marines who have been sent here are from other parts of the world. Too big a chance of someone objecting if they were from here.” Rosi’s expression darkened again. “A lot of them, I’ve spent time with. Either as a chore boy or they have been stationed in Marineford for a time.”

“How are they getting away with this?” Rouge finally burst out, agitated and unhappy with everything. 

Rosi shook his head. “They don’t report it and nobody wants to say that Roger has a kid. I just don’t understand why more people aren’t upset.”

He finished his glass. “Look, I know that this is probably the last thing you want, someone else knowing. But I want to help. Tell me how, and I will do it. But if I figured it out, someone else will eventually as well. Maybe not as fast as I did, but I had the start of spy training.” A wry little quirk of his mouth. “Seems I have a talent for it.”

Rosinante looked at her again, eyes serious, jaw tight. “Garp is the only one who knows I’m not going back to the Marines. He understands why I can’t. And this is the only thing I can do to try to help. I can’t save the other women and children they are hurting because of this. But I can help you. And it help Garp keep a promise that he very much wants to keep.”

Standing, Rosi threw some belli down on the table, enough to cover both of their drinks. “No child should be hunted for their family. They should be protected. I’m staying at the Seaward Siren while Garp is currently visiting some of the other posts in the area. Please, let me help, even if it’s to help play distraction for the others in the area.”

He bowed slightly to her, gave her a smile, and then stepped away from the table. “If you need anything, feel free to contact me there at any time. It was very nice to share a drink with you, ma’am.”

To Rouge’s astonishment, he walked away.

As she watched him, in her mind, the phrase ‘not yet’ kept curling through it. Her will would make sure that her child would be born. But Rouge wasn’t sure if she would do as well as her son or daughter would do. Her doctor, who had known Rouge since she was born, had warned her of that.

Maybe she could really do some planning. What happened after her baby was born was still very much up in the air. 

First, she needed to check this entire situation out. Had not gotten this far by trusting anyone connected to the Marines. But if Rosinante was being truthful…. Rouge couldn’t put much faith in that, he might still be a plant of the Marines to trick her. Though nothing they did in this situation had been subtle so far. So this might be real. Not that she’d decide now. Would have to feel this out before making any choices.

Maybe she could plan for more of her baby’s life that she had feared.


	7. I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouge has a moment to think. And to mourn a little more. But she won't let this hold her back long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments. Each one makes me stupidly happy.

It had been such a long day at the market. Rouge dropped her bags and sank into a chair with a sigh. Would put away her shopping later, but right now she just wanted to sit down. She had not slept well lately, and was feeling it now. 

The teen was around, she’d seen him here and there. He wasn’t pushing himself on her, thankfully, but he wasn’t hiding either. It was hard to decide what to do with him. On one hand, he really did seem as if he just wanted to help. Nobody came to drag her off for questioning. And there were ways to tell if she was or wasn’t pregnant, even if she did well at hiding it. On the other hand, he was associated with the Marines, and that was dangerous for her and…. 

_Not yet_

A hand dropped to her belly. It was still flat from her will, but she knew that her baby was resting there. Ann or Ace. A last gift between her and Roger. Proof that she hadn’t just dreamed that entire time. It had that quality, too good to be true. Definitely too good to last. 

Tears burned her eyes and her breathing hitched a moment. Why wasn’t he here when she wanted him? He should have been here. He was supposed to be here. 

She almost wanted to find Rosinante and question him more about what actually happened to Roger. Rouge remembered when Roger had mentioned an illness. Roger had talked about it once. It had been what triggered his urge to travel the Grand Line, but it had always sounded like something in the past. Not something that had been a current issue for him. 

Some part of her hoped that it wasn’t something that could be passed along to their child. 

Under her hand, something shifted. Not much, just a hint to let her know that her baby was alive. 

_Not yet. Not yet._

Soothing that still too young life in her with one hand, Rouge rubbed her eyes with the other hand. They still burned, but she didn’t want to cry. She had wept so many tears already. When the first reports had come in of Roger’s capture, she had worried. Then she had been frustrated from the lack of news. Then the tears came. Tears of worry and concern the longer it went with no word of an escape from him. Tears of fear when there were rumors that he was going to be executed. 

Grief was the last tears she shed. Grief and a vicious pleasure that the Marines didn’t get what they wanted. No end to the age of piracy for them. No, they murdered her lover, and set their own fate. 

She had finished shedding her tears. At least, that was what she wanted. Now this person came to her life and said that Roger’s death was her fault, in a way. Not that he put it like that, but it was true. If Roger had let himself be taken so that he could ask a favor of a Marine he respected. A favor to protect his child….

In a way, it was their fault, her and their precious child to be. _Notyetnotyet_ If there wasn’t a child to protect, maybe he would have spent his last days with her. 

Maybe not. Even if he did it to protect them, Roger still chose his own path. He let himself be taken, and he had to know how it would end. How Rouge wished he had been given longer. Long enough to see their child. To hold their future in his hands and see proof that they both lived on this world with each other. 

She rubbed her hand over her belly, eyes stinging as they filled to the point of spilling over. 

She let herself cry. And, just like she had the last time she had broken down, Rouge promised herself this would be the last time. 

This time, though, she focused on the little fluttery sensation that curled in her belly. Wiping her eyes clean, she pressed her hands flat to her stomach. Everything depended on her being able to do what she needed to do. 

“It’s all right,” she murmured, looking at the little house she owned. That she and Roger had decorated together. In one room, there was a box of things left for her, the pass on to their child. Roger had talked about what grand adventures they would have once the baby was born and they could go to sea a bit easier. Just asked to leave a few things here to keep them safe. Their child’s only mementos of him now, since there would be no adventures to be had for them. 

Rouge knew she’d never go to sea like they talked about. Even once this one was born, it wouldn’t happen. She was going to do everything she needed to do to keep her child safe. To keep Roger’s child safe. 

Their baby would live. Even if Rouge had to burn down every ship that Marines had, she would make sure of it. 

“I’m here,” she murmured. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” A flutter of something, and she smiled. 

Then she stood up and went to put her groceries away. In the back of her mind, running as constantly as ever, was the murmur of not yet. She had to hold things together. For as long as possible. She was a D. Roger had told her some of what he learned. And she knew what someone who was born a D could do. She simply applied it in a new way.

Doctor Miles was doing what he could. Helping her hide this child till she might have a chance to give birth in safety. Leaving would make her a target, and Rouge loved her home. She might have left to follow someone she loved. But she would not let herself be chased away by bullies. 

She and Roger had been a match in stubbornness, after all. It was part of why they worked so well with each other. 

Rouge was being watched. But she would watch back. No need to rush if Rosinante was telling the truth. And all the reason to take her time. There would be no chance of risking her baby. 

That was one promise she could keep.


	8. Gloves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosi does not get some fashion choices. Then he and Rouge talk about some differences in the Blues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun one. Rouge has made up her mind on things, now she just has to put them into action. Rosi is just along for the ride at the moment.
> 
> Also, my entire Rosi ficlets series is just over 47 thousand words. This story alone, at this point? 12.5k. It's telling on my average story size and how big this one is.

“Sometimes, it’s odd what people wear,” Rosi said, sitting back as he sipped at his tea. Rouge was sitting across the table from him, both of them watching people walking around and talking. 

It was quiet today. There was no Marine ship in dock, as they were off on another island currently. That meant the general air of worry was almost gone. That was nice, and Rosi found it made things much easier when it came to dealing with the woman near him. 

She had, after several weeks, agreed to talk to him more. Mostly by sitting down at his table when he was out eating one day and cooling asking him a question. He figured it was a one time deal. Until it happened again. 

Only in public, and she never stayed super long. There had been some careful questioning about Roger that he had answered as best he could. That seemed to help her settle something. What, he wasn’t sure. But she had continued to meet him, and their conversations had begun to… drift. 

Such as what people were wearing. 

“I mean, those look like gloves, but they are so flimsy,” he said, watching some girl walk by, batting her eyes at a young man who looked rather nervous. On her hands were things that looked like gloves. But they were really just lacy, nearly see through. That got Rosi looking at Rouge. “Seriously, what’s the point?”

His lunch companion looked at him, amusement clear in the arch of her brows and the curl at the corner of her lips. “She’s wearing them,” Rouge said, picking up her sandwich, “because they are decorative.”

The idea of it just made Rosi blink. To be fair, he didn’t interact with civilians much anymore, so decorative gloves made no sense to him. “Really?” he asked, tone dubious as he glanced at the couple again. “That would never have worked like that. Anywhere I lived.”

“Oh?” Rouge took a bite, and then gave him a look to continue. That was good. This was what he was hoping for when he had tracked her down. Not that she’d confide in him, or throw herself under his protection. He never expected that. The sort of person who could hide a pregnancy from the Marines and the World Government would never be like that. 

Friendship, however, that was what he was hoping for. 

Rosi very much wanted a friend. He knew plenty of people, had been friendly with a lot, but having a friend…. Even a very dangerous friend. 

In any case, if they got to be friends, maybe she’d be more willing to trust him. They could plan together, figure out where to go from here. Because he very much wanted to help her. She was doing great on her own, but that couldn’t last forever. Even if he couldn’t help anyone else, he could help one person. 

So her having lunch with him was great, even if she refused to do more than that so far. It was fine, they had time. How she was hiding her pregnancy, he had no idea. But Rosi hoped she could keep doing it. 

“I used to live at Marineford. The only people there who wore gloves were Marines. And they were mostly work gloves. Or ones that could take a bit more of a beating.” He ate one of the crispy fries the cafe sold. Which were really good. “And before that, I lived on a little island in the North Blue. There, gloves were used for work, or the cold.” And before that, it was used to protect people from peasants. Not that he recalled much of that place. 

First the first time, there was a gleam of real interest in Rouge’s eyes. “North Blue? I hear it’s really different there.” 

That got a laugh from Rosi. “Very much. The weather alone is massively different. You don’t get really bad winters here. It’s really nice. Even Marineford can get some crazy weather, being on the Grand Line. And North Blue has killer storms in some areas.”

This was a gentler Blue. Normally. Right now the Marines were making it horrid, but the sun still beamed down brightly. The wind was cool and light, with small gusts. On the sea, the waves rarely went wild, rarely rising up and sweeping over entire ships. 

This place, he could understand why Roger visited this place. It was…. The only word Rosi could come up with was nice. 

He focused his attention on the here and now, giving Rouge a small smile, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry, got to thinking of my old home. It’s weird how different the Blues can be.”

“Have you ever been to the other two?” Rouge looked curious, and Rosi had to shake his head. 

“No, I went pretty much from the North Blue to the Grand Line when Sengoku was transferred and we moved to Marineford. Then to here when Garp dragged me along.” A small shrug. “I would like to, someday. There is so much of the world to see.” He smiled at her, and she actually gave him a small smile back. She looked out at the people walking by, waving hello to a few people that called out greetings to her. 

“I had talked of doing something like that,” she admitted after a moment. “Going to travel the seas.”

Rosi could only imagine that it had been with Roger, and those plans were not viable anymore. “Well, you will have a chance later, I’m sure.” He was trying to encourage her. 

Then Rouge looked at him, something in her eyes that made him pause, uncertain. It reminded him of his mother, when they had been chased from their home, before she had gotten sick enough to take to a bed. 

As soon as he realized what it made him think of, the look was gone, and Rouge was drinking her tea. Setting the cup down, the woman nodded. “Perhaps,” she agreed.

Rosi suddenly wasn’t so sure. 

“Well, when you do,” he said, deciding to go for something to break the sudden tension in the air. “Make sure that you pack a pair of decent gloves. Little lacy things will just get torn up the first time you have to punch someone in the nose.”

The semi-joke worked, and Rouge chuckled. “So sure it’ll happen?”

“With the way you glared at me the first time we met? I have no doubt you’d terrify your way into ruling a ship,” he said, smiling at her. 

Maybe, once they actually counted each other as friends, he could find out what that look in her eyes meant.


	9. Superstition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosi learns about a childhood ritual he's never seen before.

“What are they doing?”

Rosi had been strolling along with Rouge, who seemed to have decided to put him to work as a packhorse. Not that she did anything that gave him more insight as to what she was doing with her life, outside of a weekly shopping trip. Then she made him carry her purchases as she looked over things at the market.

Rouge paused where she was checking out some spices that had just come in to see where Rosi was looking. A pause, and then she smiled. “They’re making promises,” she informed the man. When he looked at her confused, Rouge was a little surprised. “You never did that? Cross your heart and hope to die?”

There was a pause from Rosi. “My childhood was…. Well, I was not exactly popular as a child. Not at the age they are.”

He nodded at the two children, who probably were about seven or eight as they conspired over something. “So, that’s a kid thing here? I mean, I guess it’s possible that there were kids who used it in North Blue.” His voice trailed off at the look of curiosity on Rogue’s face. He cocked his head with a blink. “What?”

She was looking at him for a long minute, frowning a bit. Then she shook her head and went back to the spices. 

Rosi wanted to question, but he had learned already that Rouge wouldn't be pushed into speaking about something she didn’t want to. So he listened instead as she bartered for her new seasonings. It was interesting to hear the process of bartering, something he had never seen before. 

Before Senogku, either nobody would deny them anything, or they wouldn’t ever sell them anything. It had been a stark contrast. And once he was with Sengoku, he rarely did any shopping himself. And when he did, the prices were pretty set. Military posts didn’t do a lot of bargaining for things to buy. And even the civilians tended to have set prices in regards to the Marines and their cabin boys. 

So watching how people around him were offering and counter-offering on prices was new and Rosi was learning it as best he could. It looked fun, and he might have to start trying it soon. Was well aware they were overcharging him on stuff. Not that he had a fund limit at the moment, but that might change in the future. 

When Rouge wrapped this up, she took the small paper envelopes and tucked them into a bag she was carrying, paying out the belli due. Then she started off. 

“It’s time for lunch,” she said over her shoulder, heading towards the cafe they both favored for meetings. It had good food, and it was hard to overhear what they talked about. As long as they didn’t whisper or do anything else to make people think they were hiding, the pair really could talk about a lot of stuff. 

Not that they really spoke about much that was really private. Rouge was obviously getting more comfortable with him. Plus, Rosi noticed she used him as a shield when there were Marines about. It had not taken the clever woman long to figure out that if she was with Rosi doing anything, the Marines just tossed a few jokes at them and continued on. Rosi had noticed it as well, and couldn’t blame her for using what resources she had to keep herself safe. 

Still, the fact they were going here meant she wanted to talk.

Settling down, it didn’t take long for their regular orders to come out. It had been a fun thing for Rosi to get used to. There was a lot of variety in the food here, and he could both have a favorite and get it enough that they just brought it out. That was pretty neat. 

Once the waitress left, though, Rosi looked at Rouge, who was quickly diving into her food. While she was still thin, showing no signs of the baby he was positive she was carrying, Rouge was always hungry. He ate his food at a more sedate pace, saying nothing as she stole some of his fries as well. That got a few chuckles from people who happened to be looking their way, but that was it. 

Finally, they both seemed to settle and Rouge appeared ready to talk. 

“So, you never heard of cross my heart,” she said, looking almost mystified. “I thought everyone knew that one. Not that I’ve met a lot of strangers who were kids, but none of them ever looked twice at kids using it.”

Ah, Rosi got it now. She was probing for more details about who he was. Well, he could give her some, easily enough. 

“My family moved when I was pretty young,” he said after a bit. “We were well off before we decided to live in this little town, just outside the edges of what most people consider ‘properly civilized’ territory.” He snagged one of his surviving fries and nibbled at it. “Let’s just say we weren’t very welcomed.” That was putting it mildly. “My brother and I weren’t able to interact with the other children much. And before that, we had been very sheltered.”

He shrugged. “So, most children's games and such I never saw.”

Rouge studied him for a long moment, then snorted. “Well, it’s a pretty serious children’s oath, if you ask most of them. You make your promise, and then say cross your heart and hope to die.” She grinned. “And if you are really serious, you follow it with ‘stick a needle in my eye’ to enforce how serious you are about it.”

She laughed, probably at the way his face wrinkled up, Rosi was sure of it. “That’s gruesome,” he said. “I mean, I heard some horrible stories when I was a kid, but never anything like that.”

But when he was a child, promises weren’t anything to be kept. He only started learning that after Sengoku. That had been a pivotal change in his life. The death of his first father and being taken in by the second. 

“Children are gruesome,” Rouge said with a grin. “The more gruesome they can be, the happier they are.” She ate another of Rosi’s fries. “But it means something to them. I’ve seen parents and older siblings use it with little kids, and it works. They -believe- when people say it.” Her eyes went distant, seeing something Rosi could only guess at. 

“You always want to believe promises, even when you know they can’t come true. You don’t learn that they can’t until you are older, when too many get broken around you.” She snapped back to the here and now, eyes focused on him again. 

“In any case, I know the kids around here have started to take a liking to you. So it’s better you know what it was about. And if you do make a promise on it, you had better be willing to follow up. Or you’ll have a heartbroken child trailing you.” 

She smiled at him. “Think about how horrible that would be. Snot everywhere.”

“So much snot and tears,” Rosi agreed, smiling back.


	10. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouge has a few things to say to Rosi and a question in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A third of the way there. Woo!

The pair of them ended up in Rosi’s rooms by accident, really. Rouge and Rosi had been walking, simply talking to each other. Since the talk about promises and such, Rouge had relaxed more. Rosi still had no idea what changed, but he was happy it had happened. Had taken months to get to this point, after all. 

A sudden hard rain swept in from nowhere, and drove them indoors. Since they were close to the Seaward Siren, they both retreated to the inn, along with half of the town. It was too loud really, and something about Rouge’s expression told Rosi she didn’t want to be someplace like that. 

So he invited her to his room. 

Nothing meant by it other than a quiet place to talk, but there were a few wolf whistles as he escorted her upstairs. Not that Rouge reacted other than giving the whistlers a very clear rolling of her eyes. 

“You think we were dating,” she said sharply as they got up. Rosi set down the bag of bread he had picked up. Sometimes a snack on hand was useful, so they might have it now. He very carefully didn’t say anything in response to her comment. 

Instead, he poked around at the small chest of drawers. “I have some things to drink, if you like?” he said, pointing to the collection on top of the chest. Nothing too wild, but enough to keep him from having to go out some nights. Something he tried to avoid when the Marines were in town. 

After she requested some water, Rouge watched as the rain poured down. 

“I always loved heavy rain,” the woman said suddenly, not looking at Rosi as she spoke. Uncertain, the teen looked at her, setting a glass of water next to her. Then he said, silent as he waited to see if she continued. 

“Roger and I, we used to get caught in a storm every day. No matter what, he always managed to drag me out for a walk in time for us to be out with no shelter and a storm coming in.”

Rosi watched as she smiled faintly. She had obviously really cared for Roger, the look of it still filled her face with happiness. It was quiet joy, but it was there. “I used to joke he did it so he could see me in a wet dress.”

She went quiet for a moment. 

“It was raining hard the day he was supposed to come back. I worried, you know. When the little ship he sailed didn’t show up.” 

It was starting to get dim in the room as the clouds outside grew darker. Rosi still said nothing, letting her talk. She didn’t want his comments. She wanted to say this to someone who wasn’t herself. 

She was opening up.

Rosi could understand wanting to talk to an ear that would listen without judgement. He was perfectly happy to be that ear for her. 

“I was so afraid at first, you know. He always came alone, in a ship that was small enough for one person.” She smiled again, still watching the darkening world outside the window. “What if the ship got swamped, if it went down. He wasn’t a fruit user, he could swim. But the ocean is a big place.”

A hum. “It was raining again when I found out he wasn’t going to come home after all. That we were likely never going to explore the world together.”

A long, long moment of quiet. Rouge's expression was curiously blank as she looked out. There was something in the air, though. Rosi could feel it prickling up the back of his neck. Even with a blank expression, Rouge’s fingers were moving restlessly where she was hugging herself. 

She looked cold. He should have offered her a towel or a blanket. 

Then the inn shook as there was a crack of thunder and a flash of light at almost the same moment. Echoing up from downstairs was a dull roar of people yelling and reacting to an unexpected noise. 

“I still love the rain. It rained the day I found out I was going to be a mother.”

Her hands dropped a moment, resting there lightly. 

“He was so happy. Roger had never considered children of his own. Like Whitebeard, I think his crew was his family. But the way he smiled….”

Rouge, who had barely reacted to the thunder, turned to look at Rosi. Her eyes were wet, but there were no tears on her cheeks. “He was excited to be a father.” Her voice was hard, eyes sharp as she looked at Rosi. 

“Our child will not die.”

It was an offering and a threat at once. 

Rosi hesitated, caught in that gaze like a bird being watched by a cat. She was confirming what he had already figured out. But he also knew she’d do her best to murder him if he told anyone. 

“No, your child won’t,” he finally said back. “I know you have no reason to trust Garp, but, please, trust me. I’ll do my best to help you.” Because he 

The room lit up again as more lightning flashed outside, the rumble of thunder starting to come more frequently. Soon, it was almost constant as the storm settled in fully over the town. 

Rouge and Rosi stared at each other for a long moment. 

Then Rouge sat down, almost deflating as tension that had always curled up her spine finally relaxed. 

Rosi got her a towel.

“I don’t expect you to do anything,” Rouge said finally. “I just...needed to say something.”

Rosi nodded. “I know. But if I can help, I want to.” He gave her a wry little smile. “I mean, I don’t know what I can do at the moment, but I’m sure that you’ll figure something out. And let me know at some point.”

Rouge looked at him again, frowning a bit. Something on her face was serious. 

“You were at the execution,” she said finally. “Tell me. Everything.”

And so Rosi did.


	11. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouge shared her secret. Only fair Rosi share one of his own.

Another day, another walk. 

It was pretty out today. Rosi was enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin as they walked. It was the perfect level of warm, and he enjoyed the feel of it on his arms. Had been so sticky lately that he was desperate to feel the breeze on his skin now. 

Though he did notice the way he was being sideyed by Rouge as they walked. To be fair, she was trying not to look too much. Rosi was aware that, compared to a lot of people, he was pretty marked up. Probably more than most people she knew, outside of Roger. As a pirate, he probably had more than his share of scars as well. 

She had finally admitted she was pregnant, and seemed to be waiting for some reaction to that. So far, he hadn’t given her one, accepting it and continuing along without comment. 

Maybe it was time to show his own trust in her. 

“Before, when I was a child, my family moved away from the place I was born.” He said easily. “My father decided it was time for us to live with the regular people. Mother agreed. My older brother did not take the change well.” 

That much he remembered. Before the move was always fuzzy. Rosi had been young, and there has been some trauma around that time that probably kept him from recalling things clearly. In any case, that wasn’t the point of the story. 

Beside him, Rouge had a look on her face as she tried to figure out where he was going about this. They still knew so little about each other in some regards that a story starting this way could go any direction.

“My father picked a spot for us to go. It was a nice little village. Nothing too huge. We had the money to have a place built for us, and we were dropped off. It seemed nice.”

He glanced at Rouge, who was quiet as she watched him. There was that measuring look again, as if she was trying to puzzle him out. He was sure she was trying to figure out the point of this story. He was getting to it, he just had to work up to that sort of review. 

But, really, it wasn’t any bigger than her secret. 

“The town was not ready for us. My brother hated it. He wanted to know about the slaves.”

Beside him, he watched her mouth that last word. She looked uncertain, nose wrinkling and brow furrowing as she pondered what he was saying. Could see the gears turning in her mind, her eyes widening. Rosi was pretty sure she’d figure it out before he flat out said it. 

He smiled faintly. “But, then, most places aren’t ready for a World Noble family to land on their doorsteps.”

Rouge froze. Rosi continued on a few more steps before stopping himself. 

“Or,” he said, carefully not looking her way. “Should I say former world noble?” He studied the clouds above, watching them move. “In order to move, to live with regular people, we had to give up any claim to our standing as World Nobles.” A shrug. “I don’t recall what it was like there. Only some vague impressions.”

He turned his head to look at her over his shoulder, giving her a grin. “In any case, we didn't have a home for long. The townsfolk burned it down. And did their best to kill us.” It felt like that, after all. Only Doffy had scared them off. “Then we lived in the dump after that.”

Rouge made a noise. “How….” She paused, swallowing hard. He could understand. World Nobles had the sort of reputation that made people do things like try to murder them on sight if they could get away with it. 

However, this was Portgas D. Rouge he was talking about. She had met the Pirate King as an equal for a reason. She wasn’t one to back down when she didn’t need to. Knowing Rouge as he did now, Rosi was pretty sure she might not back down even then.

“How old were you?”

Well, she picked a nicer question, and Rosi smiled a little more. “I was about six when we moved to the island. Eight when I was picked up and adopted by Sengoku.”

Two years, living in a place where everyone hated your very existence, was a very long time. “Needless to say, I have real issues with people who go after someone else just for what their family does.” He waited to see what she would do. 

There was a moment of quiet, a series of emotions flickering over Rouge’s face. They were mostly too fast for him to pick out. Disgust was one he did see. So was pity. Both were familiar enough things to see that he could pick them out in a heartbeat. Neither was the one he wanted to see. Rosi was still waiting for that one. 

“Are you saying you lived in a dump as a six year old?” Now she sounded furious. Well, this was a woman who could take up with a well known pirate and hide her pregnancy for months now. She was no shrinking violet in any way, shape, or form. 

A nod. “A lot of the scars you see are because I’m a bit clumsy.” 

That got a snort from Rouge. “A bit,” she agreed, fake sweetness in her tone. The woman already teased him for his amazing ability to trip over thin air. 

“And a lot are from that time,” he continued as if she hadn’t said anything. Not dismissing her words, just used to being mocked from his inability to keep his feet on the ground at times. “We were favorite targets, though we rarely had to deal with mobs after that initial time.” 

He started walking again, and Rouge rejoined him after a moment. “Mother died fairly fast. She was...delicate. I don’t know if she would have lived long anyway. World Nobles get sick a lot if they are exposed to other people. I think their immune systems just don’t work right.”

He and Doffy had been miserable for the first year they were out. Caught every bug that managed to make it to them. But they survived. Mother did not. Father had been ailing for months when Doffy killed him. 

“Father died right before Sengoku found me.” 

Rouge waited for more, her eyes still wide. Well, nice to know he could shock her. But most people would be shocked. Rosi was aware he acted like no regular World Noble. 

“My brother took off right after Father died. He is a pirate now.”

That got a noise from Rouge. “You are a Marine, and he’s a pirate?” she asked, tone torn between amused and confused. 

“Not a marine,” he said, pointing a finger at her. “No plans of becoming one, either.” Rosi frowned a bit. “But, yeah, Doffy…. Doflamingo, he’s getting to be a name in the North Blue. An extra reason to never go back to a pretty miserable sea.” 

That got a snort. He had definitely made his opinion clear about the North Blue. If he never went back, it would be too soon. 

“Anyway, don’t be surprised if I end up with a few new scars while I’m here.” He gave her a bit of a bratty grin. “It’s how I do souvenirs. No things with island names on them. I hurt myself like a maniac and get to tell the story of it later.”

“Really?” Rouge sounded a little off, but not too bad. She would need some time. “Well, then, tell me a story.”

He pointed to a neat line of dots that ran along one arm. “This one is from right after we moved to Marineford. It involves a cat, a rake, and three very drunk cabin boys.”

Rouge was laughing by the end, and Rosi was sure it was the prettiest noise he ever heard. Would definitely have to see if he could hear more of it.


	12. Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouge discovered one of Rosi's weaknesses.

Tiny hands tugged on Rosi’s pants at the highest point their owner could reach. Which was just about knee high. He looked down, blinking at the smallest child he had ever seen that wasn’t being carried by someone. She looked back at him, dark eyes large and shining with absolute delight. 

“Up,” she demanded, holding her hands up at him. 

He blinked at her, and then looked around. There was a woman, who was talking to Rouge, one eye kept on the child.There were enough similarities that he assumed she was the child’s mother. 

Then he looked down again as he was poked in the legs. The little girl was frowning now. “Up,” she repeated. 

He crouched down, getting more on her level. “Up?” he asked, trying to clarify what she wanted. Now that frown was an absolute scowl. 

“Not down,” she said in protest. “UP!”

“She likes feeling tall,” called the assumed mother, who looked entirely too amused at this. Rouge was the same, and Rosi looked at them, utterly lost. “You can pick her up.” 

That was really the last thing he wanted to do, but then he made the mistake of looking at the little girl again. Her eyes were now wide and full of near tears. That made him freeze, then he carefully reached for her. 

She gave a small cry of delight as he stood, carefully holding her around her waist. So small, and he was a bit afraid of dropping her. Or snapping her in two. That seemed like a very viable fear, given how small she was. He was pretty sure he could have picked her up one handed. 

Definitely not doing that. Not with her mother watching. Who was looking even more amused now. She was almost laughing at him. Rouge wasn’t even trying to hide the fact she was. 

The girl was in the air, held at chest level, looking delighted again. Well, at least she wasn’t looking at him with those sad eyes anymore. “Up,” she said again, pointing at his shoulder. It took a moment, but he figured out what she wanted without needing to resort to her mother as a translator. 

He almost regretted it, though. When the little girl was settled on his shoulder, she did two things that made him realize this was a mistake. Those tiny hands latched onto his hair instantly, which was not comfortable in the least. And she squealed. 

Actually, squealing was too mild a word. He had heard sirens that were quieter. Especially when they were right next to his ear. There was a slight flinch, but his hand was on the little girl to make sure she didn’t fall. 

Even he knew that was a bad thing. 

“Tall,” she declared, baby fingers trying to rip his hair out. 

“Yes,” he said, after a moment, looking helplessly at the two women. “Tall.”

And then he noticed he was surrounded. 

Maybe toddlers called each other through high pitched noises. Like some types of whales. 

No, whales preferred lower sounds. He was pretty sure. But they were much, much bigger. 

It didn’t matter too much. All Rosi knew was that he was surrounded by small children, who all looked at him with big eyes and delighted expressions. His stomach sank as one finally made the move to get closer. This one, he was pretty sure, was a boy. 

“Up?” 

It was more a question that a demand, but those large eyes were full of hope. Plus, Rosi had seen how quickly these small people could go from hope to crying. 

A last frantic look at Rouge and the first mother, who offered no help. And Rosi found himself crouching to pick up the second child.

***

Rouge’s sides hurt from laughing. She had just watched Rosi, who did everything he could to act like an adult, get swarmed by children. It was almost like watching a group of cats go after the fish heads some people threw out for them. A scramble and climbing frenzy.

Next to her, Astori was laughing. “Well, it seems like your guy has a weakness to children. If you guys get that far, might have to train him out of that.”

“We’re not….”

Rouge trailed off, even as she panted a bit and wiped tears from her eyes. Had definitely been laughing too hard. 

But that wasn’t why she stopped. An idea had just occurred to her. It would require timing, and some serious planning and discussion with Rosi, but….

There was a snort from her friend. “You two spend a lot of time with each other now. And you smile more than you did for a long time.” Neither of them said anything. Astori was one of the few to know who Rouge’s last partner had been. Not that either of them ever said anything. Astori could have stopped a lot of things if she had told someone that Rouge and Roger had been together. 

But everyone knew that they were looking for Roger’s child. And Rouge had not been obviously pregnant. Rouge knew her friend assumed Roger had a lover on another island who was pregnant, not aware that Rouge was carrying a baby of her own. Even if she was still slim as ever. 

Eventually, though, she would start to show. Even Rouge couldn’t hide her pregnancy forever. Better to have something in place to help that. 

She needed to talk to Rosi. 

After she got done being amused to his weakness of child sized puppy eyes.


	13. Taxi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rouge has an idea, and springs it on Rosi.

Rouge had been quiet lately. Uncertain what it was about, Rosi hadn’t pushed for answers yet. Besides, he had learned pushing too hard did not work with someone like Rouge. She had a way with words that made him cringe at times. 

Rouge had a temper. Not something he wanted to tangle with. 

Today, though, she had popped up at the inn, grabbing him and bundling him off into one of the little sea taxis that ran around the island. Him and a bucket with things in it. The taxi one took them to a tiny spit of land, and she chided him off. Hopping out herself, there was some chatter between her and the woman running the taxi, and then the other went off. 

“Nobody else is doing a shore walk here,” she said, handing him the bucket. “We can do some salvaging and talk.”

There was something in her tone that made Rosi more curious than any cat, but he had to wait. She started off at a quick pace, moving along the tidal pools that decorated the beach. It did not take long for her to find a few things, tossing in some crabs and shellfish. 

Rosi worked on helping, managing to find a nice sized lobster, which he only managed to grab from its hole due to his long arms. 

“I want to say the baby is yours.”

He choked, dropping the lobster, and only barely grabbing it again. 

“You what?”

His voice squeaked and Rosi’s eyes were huge as he looked over at Rouge. 

Her stance was tight, fingers curling tight at her sides. Shoulders back, she looked at him defiantly. “I want to say the baby is yours. Everyone thinks we are courting anyway.” Her voice was full of annoyance at that. “When I start to show, they are going to assume. Better we plan for it.” 

There was some bitterness there. Rosi could understand it. She couldn’t even claim the true father of her child. That had to burn her. Even if she knew it from the beginning, or at least since Roger’s capture, there was a difference between not being able to admit it and having everyone assume a different man. 

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” he asked finally. Not a yes or no, but a question about her thought process. 

There was a tremble that ran through her. If it was from being upset, or from anger, he was not sure. Likely would never know. Though, given what he knew of her so far, it was likely a mix of both. 

“We both know that people will assume this one is yours.” She rested a hand on her belly, still flat after all this time. The will of a D was an amazing thing. Rosi understood why his birth relations feared them so much. 

“They will think he or she is yours, no matter what. And it will give my child extra protection.” She looked at him. “I can only keep them hidden for so long. Eventually, I will have to let them grow. When that comes, it will be long enough that people won’t automatically assume Roger. But they will wonder who.” She looked at him, eyes dark with a storm of emotions that rattled Rosi a bit. 

That she was in so much turmoil over this hurt. And there was nothing he could do to help. Other than sit here and listen to her. 

“Since they think we are seeing each other, because you are a stalker,” that was said with a pointed look. “So, they’ll think my baby is your baby. I want us to use that to our advantage.”

Rouge shifted from foot to foot, weight balanced forward as if prepared to fight. Rosi realized she was, even if it was just verbally. 

“Your father is a Marine. Your uncle is -the- Marine currently.” A flash of anger in those eyes now. “Your child will be safe. At least until they are old enough to take care of themselves.” A bit of a smirk. “Even if they go pirate.”

That got a startled laugh from him. “I suppose they probably would, given how you are,” he said after a moment. “You aren’t exactly the most law abiding lady out here.”

She snorted at him. “Not all pirates are on the open seas,” she pointed out. “They just get called by a different name.”

And, Rosi knew, not all were so obvious in their breaking of the rules. 

He considered what she was saying. There were both pros and cons. 

“Any child I have, Sengoku will consider a grandchild. Are you sure that the baby will really be safe with that sort of connection with me?” His adopted father knew Roger, and if the kid looked anything like that man, he’d notice eventually. 

Or… maybe not. It’s amazing what being family could make one blind to. 

“Let me think about it,” he said finally, holding up a hand when she opened her mouth. “I know that you are under a lot of pressure. But I’m leaving the Marines, so I’m not sure how much I will be able to do to protect your baby.” He looked at her, trying to get across how serious he was. 

“I promised I would do anything I could to help. Let me decide if this will help or not. If it will, I agree. No issues. We can start setting up the situation now. If it won’t, we’ll see what I can do that will help.” 

He gave her a faint smile. “Though, from what I can tell…?”

A shift. “That answer will probably be yes.”

He just needed a bit of time to think on it.


	14. Strawberries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosi should remember to watch what he eats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and I will have gotten this halfway posted. Woo! Hope everyone is enjoying it so far.

It was definitely an accident. 

They had gone out, having a quiet day of it. Rosi still hadn’t made his decision on if he wanted to go along with the idea of pretending Roger’s kid was his. Though the more he looked at it, the more he realized this might be the best method. 

Plus, Rouge was right. When she started showing, people would assume the kid was his anyway. So it might be the only method.

He wanted to put it off a little longer, though, even if he could tell it was irritating Rouge. Though if he went through with this, he also had to decide on if he was going to bring Garp in on this. That was likely, though. Would need someone in his corner when his father went mad over Rosi both not joining the Marines and having a kid without any warning. 

So he had dragged her out for a picnic. They had bought some stuff to take along, and found a secluded place to sit down and eat. 

“You are a pain,” Rouge told him, even as she leaned against the tree they were eating under. It was mostly bug free, and the woman was enjoying the cool shade under it, he could tell that. She had gotten more sensitive to the heat as time had gone on. Another sign she wasn’t going to be able to hide things forever. 

“Me?” He gave her a wide, innocent look. Which got a stick thrown at him. He managed to avoid it, grinning. “I’m not doing it on purpose,” he admitted. “Not really. Just...need some time to accept the idea.” 

Rosi snorted and continued. “I mean, we both know I’m going to say yes. I just need a bit of time to get myself to do it.”

That got another stick thrown at him. 

“If you know you are going to say yes, why not say yes?” Rouge said with a huff. She looked distinctly unimpressed with him at the moment. That just got another laugh from Rosi.

“Maybe I want to feel like the one being chased,” he teased, batting his eyes. “I mean, I shouldn't throw myself at the first lovely lady who wants me to be the father of her child.”

This time, it was a kick he had to dodge. He cackled, and then reached out to grab a bit of the fruit salad they had bought. “In any case, once we do this, you are going to have to deal with Marine attention.” He absently wondered what sort of fruit this was he had grabbed, not recognizing it. “Mostly because the people I trained with are going to tease me endlessly.”

“Well, that’s something,” Rouge started, and then Rosi lost whatever else she was saying. He had popped the fruit into his mouth, and everything seemed to seize up in his body as he started to chew. Instinct told him to spit out the bitter, disgusting fruit in his mouth, but something outside of his control made him swallow instead. He gagged, choking at the aftertaste. 

Not that he heard it. Everything had gone completely silently. 

For a moment, he wondered if he had some sort of stroke or something. Something that stole his ability to hear. 

Then he saw the panic on Rouge’s face as she rubbed at her own ears, and his training kicked in. 

Devil fruit.

He grabbed her wrists, tugging slightly to get her attention, then pointed at himself, then the fruit. That didn’t seem to make sense, and he glanced around. Something in him told him what was going on. He let his body move as it wanted a second, and a snap let the sound returned from around them. Though he was still without sound himself. 

“Rosi?” There was still panic in Rouge’s tone, her eyes wide. A moment later, he figured out how to turn his own voice back on. 

Coughing a bit, because that was a very nasty taste, Rosi rubbed his mouth. “I think,” he said, eying the fruit, “that someone wasn’t paying attention.” Scraping his tongue against his teeth, Rosi shuddered. He wasn’t sure if it was him, or whoever made the fruit salad, that had paid less attention.

“Or, maybe, it’s not as common out here.” He looked up at her. “I mean, I know that they mostly show up inside the Grand Line, but I thought some popped up outside.”

He would have to figure out what one he had just eaten. 

Nudging the fruit away, he gave Rouge a small smile. “So, I guess I’m the lucky person who found the piece of devil fruit.” He rubbed his fingers against each other. “So there will be some testing later.”

Rouge was still a bit wide-eyed. “Are you okay? The noise you made before everything went quiet….”

He wrinkled his nose. “Devil fruit is really nasty. I don’t know anyone who ate one that liked the flavor of it.”

Without saying anything, Rouge grabbed a thing of juice and handed it over. With a thankful smile, Rosi drank, washing the taste from his mouth. “Much better,” he admitted. 

“So, you have one of those weird powers now?” Rouge was obviously full of curiosity, starting to calm down now that Rosi wasn’t making horrible noises. 

Her answer was a shrug. “I suppose. Something to do with the quiet we got stuck in. I’ll have to practice with it.” Rubbing his face, Rosi sighed to himself. “Not something I planned on doing.”

Accidental devil fruit was rarely good. But he’d made the best of it. “Willing to help me figure this out?” he asked Rouge.

She looked at him flatly for a moment, then smiled. “Well, you are the father of my child,” she said, bold as could be. “I suppose I should make sure you don’t break yourself too much.”

That got a laugh, and Rosi just rolled with it. Well, they both knew how things were going to go. Might as well accept it now. 

“Well, if this is about sound manipulation, at least dealing with baby screams will be easier,” he said brightly.

This time, the next stick smacked him right in the forehead.


End file.
